Hinge construction for lid members for refrigerator chests



Oct. 12, 1954 J, OR NZ 2,691,187

HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR LID MEMBERS FOR REFRIGERATOR CHESTS Filed Jan. 11, 1952 xwmw I 41 In 13 INVENTOR.

fllzri llama/z Mu l Patented Oct. 12, 1954 HINGE CONSTRUCTION FOR LID MEIVIBERS FOR REFRIGERATOR CHESTS Albert J. Lorenz, Clifton, N. J., assignor to American Hard Rubber Company, New York, N. Y., a corporationo'f New York Application January 11, 1952, Serial No. 265,947

2 Claims. 1

The present invention relates to a hinge construction for lid members for a refrigerator chest, and more particularly to a type of hinge including a flexible connection member, which is preferably of rubber and which is adaptable for use in conjunction with mating refrigerator chest lid members, suchas the lids used on ice-cream containers, permitting .adequate cleaning and sanitary maintenance of structures of this kind.

It has now become quite customary to use a pair of mating lid members for a refrigerator chest for ice-cream containers with a hinge between the two, not connected with any part of the chest propenso. that either lid may be opened with the other .closed, or both lids may be simultaneously bodily removed from the chest, permitting complete access to the inside as to th portion covered by .both. lids. In such constructions, the two lids jointly cover. a single opening, but are arranged so that access may be had independently to either part of the opening, for example, to permit access to ice-cream of two difterent flavors.

In the past, such hinge constructions have involved the use of perforated members, wherein contamination could find its way quite easily into the contents of the chest, or in some instances, into-the interior of-the lid members themselves. For example, when constructions were provided with sheet rubber type hinge means, the sheet rubber was held to the respective lid members by the use of screws passing through holes inthe sheet rubber and in some cases penetrating into the interiors of the lids themselves. It has been found in practice, that dirt and possibly bacteria have found their way down through such screw holes and into the interiors ofthe lids so that an undesirable condition built up, which was difficult and sometimes substantially impossible to clear up without such drastic types of repairs as were either substantially prohibitive or involved replacement of most of the structures involved. Various attempts have been made to provide a simple construction of this kind, which willpositively prevent the ingress of foreign matter into the interior of such a chest to a maximum extent, and into the interiors of the lids, while permitting the lids and their hinge constructions to be easily cleaned. The provision of such a hingemeans in a construction of this general nature is a primary object of the present invention.

The present invention may be summarized as a hinge construction, particularly adapted for use with the mating lids of ice-cream containers, wherein the hinge per se, comprises a strip of flexible and resilient material, such as rubber,

having bead portions extending in substantially parallel relation along each edge thereof. These bead portions are received in correspondingly and complementarily shaped recesses in each of the lids, a slot being provided communicating with each such recess through which the web portion of the hinge strip extends in the operative position of the parts. In addition, means are provided in accordance with the present invention, to assure the easy and quick assembly and disassembly of the parts by forming each of the bead portions progressively tapered, the taper extending from one end of the flexible hinge strip to the other. In the preferred embodiment of the invention, one of these bead portions is tapered in one direction along the strip, while the other bead portion is tapered in the opposite direction. This preferred construction provides for the easy and quick disassembly and reassembly of the parts by force applied as a force couple to the lids respectively, in directions parallel to the longitudinal extent of the hinge for either assembly or disassembly as the-case may be.

It has been proposed in the past to use striptype hinge constructions in a wide variety of different applications. For example, the Dennett patent, No. 2,210,652, granted August 6, 1940, shows such a hinge construction used between panels of a household typ folding screen. Similarly, the patent to Eichner, No. 2,507,965, granted May 16, 1950, shows such a hinge construction applied to the door of a baggage compartment of a motor bus. In neither of these uses, however, was there any requirement for frequent assembly and disassembly of the parts. In neither of them was there any tapering of the bead portions of the hinge disclosed or desired; as in both the hinge would presumably be retained in its operative position, once the parts have been assembled, and not disassembled frequently for cleaning as is necessary in the case of ice-cream container lids, for example. Thus, the prior art, having no need for the novel provisions of the present invention, neither visualized nor provided them.

A further general object of the present invention is to provide a hinge construction which is sanitary in use for preventing contamination either of the contents of the chest or compartment to be closed by the lids in question or of the interiors of the lids themselves. In addition to this, the present invention provides novel means permitting easy and quick assembly and disassembly of the parts, so as to facilitate the cleaning of the lids and the hinge construction properly and at frequent intervals.

Other and more detailed features and advantages of the present invention, will become apparent from the following description of certain preferred embodiments thereof, and will be set forth in detail in the appended claims, all when considered with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a view substantially in perspective of the upper portion of a refrigerator chest provided with lids connected by a hinge construction in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary view of the chest and lid construction substantially as seen in vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, an outline view of the parts with the left lid open, being further indicated in dotted lines;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the parts principally in plan but with some portions broken away and in horizontal section, showing a mode of disassembly of the parts;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detailed view, principally in horizontal section and on a larger scale than the previous figures, showing the reverse tapers of the bead portions of the hinge strip adjacent to one end thereof; and

Fig. is a fragmentary view, substantially in vertical section and on an enlarged scale with respect to Figs. 1-3, showing the hinge construction with one lid in its open position.

In Fig. 1, there is generally illustrated a conventional refrigerator chest H], of a type commonly used for containing ice-cream in retail stores, this chest having an opening H therein of a size sufficient to give access to containers having two difierent flavors of ice-cream, the containers being located side by side but not being shown in the accompanying drawings. This arrangement has now come to be in common use.

Associated with the refrigerator chest Hi, are a pair of similar lids l2 and 13, which may be of any desired construction, but which preferably are of substantially imperforate and unitary construction, so that the upper portions, at least, thereof are each formed of a single integral body of material having no apertures therethrough. This makes for the best construction from a sanitary point of View and facilitates cleaning of the lid structures. As particularly shown, the lids i2 and [3 may each be formed of a shell portion [4 of hard rubber, synthetic organic plastic material, or the like, and may be provided as shown with suitable heat insulating material l5 confined in place by a sheet material member 15, suitably fitted into the downwardly turned flange portions of the shell is providing the closed space within each lid for the insulating material it. While the lids may be formed as shown with a closed hollow space for heat insulating material, other types of construction with or without heat insulating material, may be employed without in any way changing the application to the structure as a Whole of the subject matter of the present invention.

In accordance with the present invention, it is desired to provide a hinge construction including a member or strip ll, of suitable flexible and preferably resilient material, such as rubber. This member or strip ll is secured to the lid members 12 and I3 in a manner more particularly hereinafter described. In practice, either lid l2 or i3 may be open in respect to the other, in a manner illustrated in Fig. 2, wherein the lid 12 is shown in full lines in its closed position and in broken outline at l8, at its open position with respect to the lid 13. Thus, each lid may be said to be a lid pivoted in respect to the other lid for movement about a substantially predetermined hinge axis located about at E9, Fig. 5; although the pivotal movement of the lids is not exactly about any one particular axis, but is more or less free as will be seen from the drawings, by reason of the nature and construction of the hinge strip H.

Each of the lid members it and I3 is formed to provide a recess which is arranged to conform to bead portions 20 and 2!, which are preferably substantially integrally disposed on each of the longitudinally extending side edges of the strip ll. As shown, the bead portions 20 and El are disposed in substantially parallel relation to one another. These bead portions are received in suitable recesses as shown at 22 and 23 formed in portions of the lids i2 and 13 respectively adjacent to the upper corner portions nearest to the desired hinge line generally indicated at 19 as aforesaid. The recesses 22 and 23 are each provided with a slot portion extending thereinto as shown at 24 and 25 respectively, which are arranged to receive the web portion of the strip ll between the bead portions thereof. Thus, in the operative position of the parts as seen in the drawings, the recesses 22 and 23 will exactly receive the bead portions Zii and 21 respectively, while the intervening or web portion of the strip H extends between the bead portions thereof and through the slots 24 and 25.

The construction, as thus far described, is somewhat similar to the construction shown, for example, in the Bennett and Eichner patents aforesaid, except that in the forms shown in these patents, the recesses provided for the bead portions of the hinge strips were not shaped exactly to conform to the respective bead portions of the strips.

The present invention, however, has as an object to prevent there being any open spaces in which dirt or germs can accumulate. For this reason, therefore, in accordance with the present invention, each of the recesses 22 and 23 is shaped exactly to conform with bead portions 20 and 2! of the strip I! which are to be respectively received therein.

When there is practically a zero clearance provided between the bead portions of the hinge strip and the recesses in which the bead portions are located, substantial difficulty may be expected in assembling or disassembling the parts, unless further provisions in accordance with the present invention are present to facilitate such assembly or disassembly. For this reason, therefore, the present invention provides that each of the bead portions shall be tapered, preferably progressively, from one end to the other thereof.

In the preferred form of the present invention, these bead portions are reversely tapered, so that at one end of the hinge strip will be located the smaller end of one bead portion of the larger end of the other. For example, as shown in Fig. 4, at the lower end of the strip I1 is located the larger end of the head portion 20 and the smaller end of the bead portion 21. This arrangement facilitates the disassembly of the parts, for example, by force acting to move the lid 12 upwardly as seen in Fig. 3, and simultaneously to move the lid [3 downwardly as seen in that figure. This type of force application may be said to be a force couple, wherein both forces are applied parallel to the general hinge line of the strip indicated at IS in Fig. 5, and in opposite directions. This facilitates the easy disassembly of the strip l1 and the lids l2 and I3. The reverse action for assembly of the parts maybe effected by a reverse application of force. Furthermore, once each lid I2 or [3 is loosened in respect to the hinge strip ll, the tapered configuration of each of the bead portions will enable the hinge strip to be freely removed from such lid. Only at the final operative positionrelationship of the strip IT with each lid respectively, is the head portion thereof received in the recess of such respective lid in close gripping engagement therewith. This close gripping engagement, however, is adequate to hold the parts in their normal operative positions during ordinary operation, and provides a construction greatly facilitating disassembly of the parts for cleaning, such as is frequently required with devices of this kind, in order that the construction as a whole be kept strictly sanitary.

In practice, it has been found with strip type hinges, held in place to ice-cream container lids as in the prior art by separate metal strips secured to the lids by a plurality of screws passing through holes in the rubber strip, that such prior art constructions were so difiicult and cumbersome to take apart, that the ordinary personnel at establishments using such devices would seldom disassemble these structures and thus the ideal degree of cleanliness and sanitation has not been maintained. This difiiculty is overcome in practice by a construction in accordance with the present invention.

As a further feature tending to maintain desired sanitary conditions in a structure of this kind, and also to maintain the parts in their desired assembled relationship, each of the recesses 22 and 23 is arranged at its smaller end (at the bottom as seen in Fig. 4 for the recess 23) with a constricted end portion 26. This in practice prevents the bead portion 2| from being moved too far downwardly as seen in Fig. 4 in respect to the recess 23, so as to prevent the end of the bead portion 2| extending out beyond the smaller end of the recess 23. By providing a constriction as shown at 26, such improper assembly of the parts is positively prevented.

At the same time the constricted portion 26 of the recess 23 is not a complete closure as it leaves an opening therethrough, so that when the parts are disassembled, cleaning fluids may be caused to flow freely endways through the recesses as 23, and flow out even through the constricted openings 26 thereof. A corresponding type of constriction is provided at the upper end of the recess 22 (not shown in Fig. 4). This constricted, but continuously open, end at the smaller end of each of the recesses 22 and 23 further provides for the insertion of a suitable tool for cleaning operations, such as a small cylindrical brush or the like.

In Fig. 1, the refrigerated cabinet I0 is provided with a suitable top trim member providing a recessed portion to receive the lids l2 and I3. This trim member surrounding the hole or opening ll into the interior of the casing or cabinet l0 may further be provided, if desired, with upstanding lug portions 30, which, if used, have the effect of preventing relative movement longitudinally of the hinge line l9 between either lid and the hinge strip H. The lug portions 30, or their equivalents, may be omitted, as the hinge construction is reasonably safe in use against accidental dislodgement of the parts.

While there is herein shown and described but one principal form of the invention, various modifications will occur to those skilled in the art from the foregoing teachings. The appended claims defining" these constructions are, therefore, intended to include all such equivalents as may properly come within the terms thereof and which are reasonably based upon the present disclosure in its broader aspects. 6

What is claimed is:

1. A hinge construction for joining a pair of similar lid members, which are adapted jointly to cover an upwardly facing opening into the interior of a refrigerator chest, comprising an imperforate, flexible strip of resilient material having thickened bead portions arranged in substantialy parallel relation to one another along the lateral edges of said strip, each of said 'bead portions tapering progressively from one end to the other, said bead portions being respectively tapered in opposite directions, so that there is located at one end of said strip, the larger end of one of said bead portions and the smaller end of the other, whereby to facilitate disassembly of the parts by forces simultaneously applied as a force couple, in one direction to one of said lids and in the opposite direction to the other of said lids, both applications of force being substantially parallel to the general longitudinal dimension of the hinge construction, and each of said lid members including a means providing a cavity shaped substantially to conform to the shape of one of said bead portions and providing a slot through which extends a part of said strip, which is secured to a bead portion in said cavity in the assembled relation of both lids and the hinge construction aforesaid, so that when all the parts aforesaid are in their assembled relation, each of said bead portions will substantially completely fill said cavity of each of said lids respectively, while disassembly and reassembly of the parts is facilitated by the tapered configuration of said bead portions.

2. A hinge construction according to claim 1, wherein each of said cavities is provided, at the end thereof which is adapted to receive the smaller end of the bead portion which is arranged to cooperate therewith, with an open end portion for said cavity which is further constricted in respect to the tapered shape of each said cavity, so as to prevent the smaller end of such associated bead portion from being moved to a position extending out of the smaller end of such cavity, while providing an opening at such smaller end of such cavity for the passage of cleaning fluids.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,210,652 Dennett Aug. 6, 1940 2,371,639 Mason Mar. 20, 1945 2,507,965 Eichner May 16, 1950 2,607,411 Van Viet Aug. 19, 1952 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 2,475 Great Britain A. D. 1903 

